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Goldfinger is the film that really cemented James Bond as a true
cultural icon. Sean Connery's third go-round as 007 finally started
to complete the pieces to the puzzle that started two films before.
The Bond blueprint waas now intact and subsequent films in the
series were now left with a tough act to follow. It's all here:
the girls, the gadgets, the pre-title action sequence, and still
the best Bond song ever. Goldfinger became a true phenomenon and
a huge hit the world over. Some say this will always be the best
Bond film ever.
This time, Bond's occupation brings him up against Goldfinger,
a power hungry tycoon with his sights set on raiding Fort Knox.
Goldfinger is probably one of the most quoted and imitated of
the Bond films. Evil henchman Odd Job was Mike Myers inspiration
for Austin Powers Random Task. And has anyone not heard of Pussy
Galore? That name probably has more recognition than Citizen Kane's
Rosebud...
A monumental hit when first released theatrically, Goldfinger
still ranks as one of the most successful Bond films in history.
There aren't many fans that don't rank it as one of the best,
and it has stood the test of time. It remains as interesting and
exciting now as it was when it first premiered, and if fans still
think it's the best, well, who am I to argue?
Video: How Does The Disc Look?
This is the same THX (although not credited) 1.78:1 anamorphic
widescreen transfer used for MGM's previous movie-only release.
Quality varies a bit with this one. Goldfinger exhibits just a
bit of edge enhancement giving things a little shimmer. Colors
seem slightly faded and while black level is good, shadow detail
is not the best. I can't complain too much because this is a film
from 1964 and the disc makes it look like a film from 1964. Compression
artifacts are at a minimum and there was not a lot of film grain
to be found.
Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?
The film's original mono soundtrack is presented here. I found
the sound on this disc to be loud, harsh and quite irritating.
There were several times when my front center speaker just started
to crackle and distort. Dynamic range is naturally limited. Dialog
is generally smooth and clear but distorts from time to time.
A French mono track is also included along with English and French
subtitles and English Closed Captions. No habla Espanol?
Supplements: What Goodies Are There?
Back in 1995 at the height of the laserdisc days, MGM had started
to give Bond films the special edition treatment, title by title.
The first of these releases was Goldfinger, but almost as soon
as they were started they were cancelled. The only two to be released
that I can remember were this and Thunderball. So MGM's new DVD
is the laserdisc box available on a 5" disc with a price tag over
$70 cheaper. Not a bad deal at all.
First on the order are the two audio commentaries made
up of a combination of traditional screen-specific commentary
mixed with interviews, and all moderated by a guide who introduces
the different members of the crew. Unlike most of the other commentaries
in the series, references made are reflective of on-screen action.
Both commentaries share an excellent wealth of knowledge about
the production of Goldfinger.
Two 1995 documentaries are also transferred over from
the Laser. The first, The Making of Goldfinger, recounts the production
of the third film in the ongoing adventures of 007. The second,
"The Goldfinger Phenomenon," covers the media and world-wide
frenzy that Goldfinger created upon its release. Included in both
is original on-set footage and newsreel stuff combined with new
interviews with cast and crew. The interviews with Connery lead
me to believe that his interviews were filmed sometime in 1993
since he has his Rising Sun hairpiece in accompaniment.
This disc's Still Gallery section is the only one I've
seen so far that actually needed two separate pages for all the
different subject listings. Included are sections covering the
filmmakers, the sets, the stunts, and extending to foreign poster
art and the merchandising of everything James Bond. An original
1964 publicity featurette is included showing the actor
who played Odd Job self mutilating himself in order to get the
job. It's all good, campy, mid-60s fun for all.
Finally, there's a wealth of promotional extras provided.
The original theatrical trailer is of course here as are three
TV spots. Two of the TV spots are actually for the double feature
release of Goldfinger with the original Dr. No. There's an ample
(twenty-two minutes worth) collection of radio spots. Trust me,
they're weird. The original open-ended radio interview with
Sean Connery is the final supplement provided.
DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc
in your PC?
No ROM extras have been included.
Parting Thoughts
There's more here to learn about than anyone could have ever
wanted to know about Goldfinger. I wasn't as nuts about the audio
and video quality, but the supplements are a notch above most
of the rest of the set. Recommended (like you were waiting for
me).
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